Richard B the EMT

Legend? Perhaps. Unemployed? Probably!

Did Milli Vanilli sing their own song? As for the Johnny Carson and Julio Iglesias version of "To All The Girls I've Loved Before", it was on the Tonight Show, when Johnny was still hosting it. Due to the fact Johnny was then going through his 3rd (or was it 4th?) divorce, the audience was going crazy. I think Carson, while astride a donkey, singing Glen Cambell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" is on the DVDs of "Carson's Classics".

I qualify my statement to say, if the patient is joking around, no matter how serious the case, perhaps, and I say cautiously perhaps, you might make with some funnys. Play it by ear, on a case by case basis.

FormerEMSLT297, as far as you know, is the FDNY Bureau of Investigations and Trials still fighting with AOL to find out that person's real name? I'll let you tell the tale, if anyone asks what we're talking about.

This is not in our matrix, as far as I know, to respond a CFR-D Engine company to a shooting. The idea, though, of using an NYPD LEO for the same purpose does come to mind, however. On the "Bad Idea" side of using a cop: I've had, over the years, Sargents and Lieutenants from NYPD ask me to delay heading to the trauma center, so they could have a suspect "line up" in the back of the ambulance. They say, do it now in case the patient dies. I say, no, transport now, that perhaps we won't have a dead patient. EMS wins, patient wins, suspects get a delay, and NYPD is unhappy. They'll get over it. AGAIN.

Ccmedoc just reminded me of something. Don't be telling any jokes on the scene, as the patient, as well as the family/friends/bystanders, will take it as unprofessional, specifically, "What kind of jerk is this? Telling jokes? Can't this person SEE how sick and/or injured the patient is?" This goes full across the board, from a stubbed toe call to the traumatic arrest secondary to decapitation call, as many callers believe their call, no matter what, is the really true emergency. "Lizabeth, I'm comin' to join you!" (Redd Foxx, as Fred Sanford, on "Sanford and Son".)

I'm thinking a "pressure dressing" on top of the obvious injury site as it is wrapped. I might improvise by putting 2 kling rolls on either side of the throat to prevent pressure on the windpipe, and perhaps another one on the opposite side of the neck from the GSW alongside the carotid artery, for the same reason. A possible alternate is, manually maintaining direct pressure on the GSW site. This is just off the top of my head. Any other suggestions, particularly from BLS (including requesting ALS intervention for replacement of fluid)?

I am uncertain, but why not a cover of "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, done by Freddie Fender and Tom Jones? I remember a version done by Julio and, of all people, the late Johnny Carson, on Carson's "Tonight show". Just because I never heard it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And while on the subject of cover versions, wasn't "American Woman" originally done by Jim Morrison and the Doors?

I had a partner, now a Lieutenant, who used to address any 10 years or younger male patient as "tough guy." I also have been advised by many partners, supervisors, and trade magazine articles, not to address any older patient as "Momma", Papa," "Grandma," Grandpa" or "Pops", unless that is what the patient requests of you. Ask their name, and if they prefer Mr, Miss, Ms, preceding their surname, or by their first name. I pass that along, too. As for the initial introduction, I stick with "I'm Richard, I'm with the ambulance. What seems to be the problem today?" Then, of course, there is that other problem of addressing. We'll stick with Ralph and Ed's answer: "Hello, Ball!"

Non menthol shaving cream? I'm doing EMS at BLS level for 34 years, and have to admit, for any purpose, THAT was a first. And again, I ask the unanswerable questions of, Why would anybody put butter on a burn, as 1) won't there be pain on trying to remove the butter, and 2) why would one want to sautee a burn?

Just don't kick the dog in your frustration! (And while I am not really a cat fan, don't kick the cat either!)

On an active roadway, FDNY will use a truck (ladder) company as a roadblock. I have not heard of any (so far) incidents between the FDNY, FDNY EMS, and the NYPD as described in this string, but have also not viewed the video.

While I don't know if that is the brand we use, FDNY EMS has that type system. Also, both crew members are issued a full set of keys to their assigned ambulance for the tour.

I checked all the pants, trousers, blue jeans and sports shorts that I own. Where on them is the "6 Month Mark?" I was unable to locate it, what does it look like? lol Actually, due to fit, or more correctly lack of, I don't recommend the Dockers brand pants, but that is just my experiences. I was never comfortable in them. Others might swear by them.

Yes you did, and out loud, too! As for the guy at the downhill end after the falling down upon, is he IN goo, or IS HE goo?

"Ahab the A-rab" was Ray Stevens? I thought it was by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, who also did "Wooly Bully"? Or... Was Stevens formerly WITH Sam the Sham?

If you are willing to do that, just to annoy the jerk, I submit two things, either you are a glutton for punishment, or there might be more than one jerk working there.

We sit on a street corner, we even have a signal indicating "we're on the street corner". One unit out of my "house" sits on a corner where there are no buildings for a couple of blocks in all directions. We go more than a few blocks from the CSL, we have to change the status signal to indicate "available in the district", such as going for coffee, and another signal indicating "at the House" for whatever reason. Dust, that information is available, just that I don't know who to ask to get it for you. Yes, we have people who use FDNY EMS as a stepping stone to become fire fighters. A mention here: As the FDNY at the time of the merger in 1996 was predominantly white males, with the number of EMS personnel who were minority and/or women was supposed to reflect somehow for equal opportunity in hiring. Again, someone else has the "stats" on that, and I don't know them off hand.

Referencing back to "The Song That Never Ends"... Shari Lewis version on YouTube at Can anyone provide a link to a reported Muppets version?

A hypothetical situation: EMS crew is on this 48 hour tour, and the joint is jumping. The crew has been awake and running long calls, and has done 42 calls during this time. They get off in 10 minutes, at least per the posted schedule. Then, in the traditional EMS story-telling way, they get a call, and respond, as their relief crew waves to them as they go by them at the corner traffic light. Let's make this a standby call at the state correctional facility, where an Attica style riot is now going on, with hundreds of Correction Officers, and thousands of inmates, potentially, and in actuality, putting major hurt on each other. I'm going to go really crazy here, and have 2 of the news helicopters crash into each other while covering the riot, fall into some of the prison buildings, killing the helo crews instantly, and causing large areas of fire from the exploding fuel. There are now burn casualties, as well as the other injuries usually inflicted by each side on each other in a prison riot. As some of the prisoners broke into a weapons locker, they and the COs are exchanging gunfire, with kills and wounding on both sides. Local and state police are arriving with increased frequency, with word the governor has called for the National Guard. The Guard won't have their first set of boots on the ground for at least 2 hours. The town Fire Department, as well as the EMS service originally sending the poor EMS crew already on for over 48 hours, and neighboring town's fire and EMS departments, under both Mutual Aid and State Office of Emergency Management, are in response mode. That first unit is inside the gates, and the facility is in "Lock down", so they aren't going anywhere for an indeterminable amount of time, but they are treating patients. While this is (hopefully) an improbable scenario, would you want to be this tired crew, now in the eye of the TV cameras, attempting to help everyone, while practically sleepwalking, as they are so damnably tired, and possibly making mistakes in their treatments?

Here in the FDNY EMS, we have the ambulances "staged" from what we call "CSL" , or Cross Street Location. Basically, the majority of ambulances dispatched by the NYC 9-1-1 system sit on a street corner until they get an assignment. This was designed by some computer program, taking into account population density, expected traffic flow, and computer models on where the next call is most likely to come in from, with the nearest ambulance assigned. They even have direction of where the ambulance is parked at the CSL, midnight to 0800 pointed north, 0800 to 1600 east, and 1600 to 2400 south. I do exaggerate some here, but not by much. Presuming to now attempt to answer your question, figure my district, the Q1 (the Rockaways/Broad Channel areas), with 4 BLS and 2 ALS ambulances. Due to call volume, or delays awaiting ED beds, everybody is on an assignment. Dispatch knows the Q1 is potentially going to have a call, and no additional ambulances usually in the district to handle them. They will redeploy, temporarily, units near the Q1 from the Q3 (Howard Beach/South Ozone Park areas) or the K4 (I think that's the nearest Brooklyn district, from near the Kings Plaza Shopping Mall, in Flatbush/Marine Park/Mill Basin areas). Yes, this will result in the northern areas, like the Q3 or K4, having their ambulances depleted, but if a call comes in for those areas, they shift over more ambulances from whatever the next nearest district. Figure it's something like having nearby fire companies "relocate" to cover firehouses temporarily empty due to the locals fighting multi alarm fires. I know it is not perfect, but it seems to be working. Almost forgot, here, I'm talking about a section of one of the 5 boroughs, or counties, that comprises the "Greater City of New York, New York". We use, each of the three 8 hour tours, about 225 ambulances, to provide for a population of 8,000,000 residents, and a transient population, each 24 hours, of an additional 2,000,000 people. I have unconfirmed information that, in calender 2007, the 9-1-1 system responded the EMS to one point three MILLION calls.

Old Blue, traditional folk song about a dog. Blue On Blue, Bobby Vinton Red Roses For A Blue Lady, numerous artists. Red Blues, from the Syd Charise/Fred Astare movie "Silk Stockings". (Possibly sung, in part, by Peter Lorre?)

Moon Over Miami, possibly sung by Kate Smith? Blue Moon, by unk numerous artists.

ERDoc reports a nurse's aide presented a family member, saying I wonder if that Nurse's aide is aware that there's only 2 things that affect a blood pressure: anything and everything. Hell, I probably have that BP climbing the stairs out of the #2 line subway station at Hoyt Street, heading to FDNY Headquarters.

Oops, Dust! Mary Kate Olsen was in Los Angeles, Heath Ledger and the housekeeper were in the SOuth of HOuston Street (SoHo) area of Manhattan, NYC NY. I do agee with your statement that is quite accurate, however. Why call 9-1-1, when you can call the famous girlfriend, TWICE, to have the girlfriend call her body guards ro respond, and they end up calling 9-1-1? I posit that the nationwide 9-1-1 systems are a victim of their own success, as no matter what the "emergency", the folks are going to call, and the system gets jammed up with both actual emergency calls, and "presumed true emergency" calls. (Now I add a new wrinkle to the mix, unrelated to the actual subject. There is Houston, pronounced "Hugh Ston" in Texas, and a street in NYC called Houston Street, pronounced "How Ston". I know that they are named after 2 different individuals, but the Noo Yawkers and the Texans have been duking it out for years, and probably will be for many more to come.)